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From Bis mindestens März 2027: Grenzkontrollen sollen erneut verlängert werden, tagesschau.de, 18 August 2026. Quoted for study. The words are the publisher's; the analysis is ours.
Meaning
Previously, the Bild newspaper had reported. "The developments at Europe's external borders show: pushing back illegal migration continues to need controls," Dobrindt told the paper.
Word for word: Before had the Bild-newspaper reported. "The developments at the European external-borders show: The pushing-back of-the illegal migration needs furthermore controls," said Dobrindt to-the newspaper.
A news-style report: before something else happened, Bild had already reported this story, quoting Dobrindt saying that controls at the EU's external borders must continue in order to push back irregular migration.
Two sentences plus a quotation. The first uses the pluperfect (hatte berichtet). The quoted sentence is a verb-second statement whose subject is a nominalized verb (das Zurückdrängen) modified by a genitive attribute (der illegalen Migration); the colon introduces the content shown. The reporting clause sagte Dobrindt der Zeitung follows the quotation, with the dative indirect object der Zeitung after the subject.
Rules at work(8)
-
hatte ... berichtet
The auxiliary hatte plus the participle places the reporting before another past event.
The pluperfect describes what had already happened before some other past event. It is built like the perfect but with hatte or war instead of hat or ist, and it very often appears in a clause introduced by nachdem.
Does this rule belong on this sentence? -
Zuvor hatte die Bild-Zeitung berichtet
The fronted adverb occupies first position, so the finite verb follows in second place.
In a German main clause the finite verb is always the second element. The first element can be the subject, but it can just as easily be a time expression, an object or a whole subordinate clause; whatever it is, it counts as one element and the verb follows it. This is why putting something other than the subject first pushes the subject after the verb.
Does this rule belong on this sentence? -
an den europäischen Außengrenzen
an takes the dative here because it expresses static location.
An, auf, hinter, in, neben, über, unter, vor and zwischen take the accusative when the phrase answers where to, and the dative when it answers where. The distinction is movement across a boundary against position, not motion against stillness.
Does this rule belong on this sentence? -
Das Zurückdrängen der illegalen Migration
The genitive phrase der illegalen Migration attributes the action to its object.
The genitive shows possession and follows a small set of prepositions. Masculine and neuter nouns add s or es. In speech it is often replaced by von plus the dative, but it is alive in writing and in fixed expressions.
Does this rule belong on this sentence? -
europäischen, illegalen
Both adjectives follow a definite article and take the weak -en ending.
After a definite article the adjective ending is e in the five nominative and accusative singular slots and en everywhere else, because the article has already shown the case and gender.
Does this rule belong on this sentence? -
Bild-Zeitung, Außengrenzen
Both nouns are compounds, one hyphenated as a proper name.
German builds long nouns by joining shorter ones. The last part carries the gender and the plural, and everything before it modifies what follows, so a compound is read from the right.
Does this rule belong on this sentence? -
der Zeitung
sagen governs the dative for the person addressed.
The dative marks the indirect object, usually the person something is given, said or shown to. A number of common verbs take a dative object where English would use a direct one, and several prepositions always take it.
Does this rule belong on this sentence? -
sagte
News prose prefers the simple past for reporting verbs.
The simple past is the written narrative past. In speech it survives mainly in sein, haben and the modals, where hatte and war are far commoner than the perfect forms.
Does this rule belong on this sentence?
Words(22)
- zuvor
before, previously, beforehand
adverbB2temporal
- haben
to have
verbA1haben, hatte, hat gehabtmit habenirregular
As an auxiliary it forms the perfect tenses of most verbs.
- die
the
determinerA1definite
- die Bild-Zeitung
Bild newspaper (German tabloid)
nounB2pl. Bild-Zeitungengen. Bild-Zeitungmixed declension
- berichten
to report
verbB1berichten, berichtete, hat berichtetmit habenweaküber + accusative
- die Entwicklung
development
nounB1pl. Entwicklungengen. Entwicklungmixed declension
- an
on, at, by
prepositionA1governs accusative or dative
Dative for points in time and location (am Montag), accusative for direction.
- den
the
determinerA1definite
- europäisch
European
adjectiveA2
- die Außengrenze
external border
nounB2pl. Außengrenzengen. Außengrenzemixed declension
- zeigen
to show, to point
verbA2zeigen, zeigte, hat gezeigtmit habenweak
In 'sich zeigen + adjective' it means 'to appear/prove to be', not literally 'to show something'.
- das
the
determinerA1definite
- das Zurückdrängen
pushing back, repelling
nounC1pl. Zurückdrängungengen. Zurückdrängensstrong declension
- der
the
determinerA1definite
Appears twice: dative feminine 'der Wirtschaft' and nominative plural 'die Beschlüsse'.
- illegal
illegal
adjectiveB1
- die Migration
migration
nounB2pl. Migrationengen. Migrationmixed declension
Formal register word; Alltagssprache often uses Wanderung or Zuwanderung.
- brauchen
to need
verbA1brauchen, brauchte, hat gebrauchtmit habenweak
takes a direct accusative object, unlike English 'need for'
- weiterhin
continuing, still, furthermore
adverbB1temporal
- die Kontrolle
control, check
nounB1pl. Kontrollengen. Kontrolleweak declension
In the plural often means systematic checks such as border or identity checks.
- sagen
to say, to tell
verbA1sagen, sagte, hat gesagtmit habenweak
- der Dobrindt
Dobrindt (German surname)
nounC2pl. Dobrindtsgen. Dobrindtsstrong declension
- die Zeitung
newspaper
nounA2pl. Zeitungengen. Zeitungmixed declension